Pet Shop Boys: "Who issued the instruction for this mad act of destruction?"

Ailments:

Homesick

Date:

16 August 2006

Current silver lining:

None

Rasmia & Noor.

Photograph: Sabri Hakim

Relations have deteriorated badly with our Iraqi family. Rasmia's brother, Muhammed, is playing the powerful man - saying that everything has to go through him, we're never to call again, we should buy him a new mobile phone, we can't do any more filming etc.

I would usually start thinking of Plan B at this point - but there's something about their story that is so perfect I just can't give up on Plan A.

Had emergency summit and decided, against everything I believe in, that the best option was to let the men talk about it between them. So Ra'fat is going to call Muhammed and arrange a meeting. They will then decide whether it's OK for the women to talk.

Here's a funny thing: Lashes, who's Palestinian, was saying that he learnt Hebrew so he can better understand the Israelis. I said, "Great, can you give me a couple of sentences to impress my boyfriend?" He said, "Sure". I said, "How about 'give us a kiss'?". He said, "Actually, I haven't needed to say that yet". Ha ha.

Here's a depressing thing: seems that Rasmia will defer to ANY male. Saw her in the market and tried to give her our phone number and some bratty 10-year-old boy wouldn't let her talk to us. Insisted that we give HIM the phone number and he would pass the message on.

The upshot of everything is: we're stuck in limbo land again.

An anxious night sleeping in a taxi at the border hoping Malik will make it safely across.